OK, so we’re all agreed that social media networking is here to stay and in control of our attention right now.
Does that mean we abandon trade shows? Quite the contrary.
From what I’ve learned about these new media, they are really great tools to help deliver clients to other media. think about it: if you could start a conversation with someone and have it culminate in a face-to-face meeting, how valuable would that be?
Sure, this is overstating the obvious, but is it? How many of us have thought past the tactic? “I blogged today” or “I tweeted” or “I used LinkedIn and Facebook this week” are all part of our vernacular these days. But how different are they really from letters and phone calls from an earlier time? Not much, except for the compressed time factor, as I see it.
Truth is, we all need to see these things for what they are: delivery tools. In our case, as trade show and events practitioners, to deliver prospects and clients to our venues so we can engage (talk to) them.
So as you develop your trade show lead capture strategies, be sure to remember the engagement possibilities of these tools. Where in the past you may have had a direct mail postcard as a pre-show device, consider pairing a Twitter campaign with it. Our audiences are more tuned in and discerning than ever before and we need to be sure they are directed to that landing pad know as your trade show with facts and information that will help them engage with us.
Your time is yours and these new, for now, tools will help use it more effectively.
TTSG
